Credit crunch claims new victims as more sick pets are abandoned

But now it seems that even family pets are not safe from the wrath of the economic downturn.

Fears are growing that dog and cat owners who face costly veterinary bills are abandoning their pets because they don't have enough money to pay for treatment.

The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home in Portobello is currently caring for four-year-old Ernie, a lhasa apso who was abandoned in a terrible condition in the Edinburgh area and taken to the centre by a member of the public earlier this month.

Wendy Mullen, kennel manager at the home, said: "The dog was very badly matted and this had cut off his circulation. This meant its leg had rotted away and become gangrenous so it had to be removed to save his life."

Two-year-old moggy Daisy was discovered by a member of the public at the bottom of Arthur's Seat in January with a fracture to her lower and upper jaw, and was taken to the centre.

The centre subsequently paid around 600 for an operation to amputate Ernie's leg, and a further 600 to operate on Daisy's jaw.

Manager of the home, David Ewing, said: "Since the start of the year we have started to see one or two animals coming in that have got very recognisable medical conditions and that are proving to be very expensive.

"We are now bracing ourselves for the possibility that we may see more cases similar to this where people are maybe struggling to find funds to treat their animals." Mr Ewing added that the average monthly veterinary bill for the centre was 3000, with the January bill soaring to 5000, mainly as a result of the two operations.

The centre has also experienced a slight decrease in the number of dogs and cats being rehomed, with between 70 and 80 animals rehomed last January, compared to 60-70 in January of this year.

Meanwhile, the Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre in West Calder said the number of dogs being brought in by owners who simply cannot afford to pay for their pet's medical treatment had more than doubled over the last year.

Manager of the centre, Susan Tonner, said: "In previous years we would maybe have a maximum of 20 dogs coming in in a year because of an owner's lack of finances for medical treatment, but in the last year we've taken between 40 and 45 – and I expect this figure to go up.

"We rehomed a little collie-cross from West Lothian two weeks ago who had terrible skin allergies.

"The owner said she could no longer afford treatment for him and those kinds of cases are becoming increasingly common."

Guide dog sought for sightless puppy

A NINE-WEEK-OLD puppy is in desperate need of a guide dog of its own after being born with no eyes.

Rose was born with a rare condition which means her eyes failed to develop.

The Dogs Trust in West Lothian is now appealing for a home for the collie-Labrador cross. She needs somewhere where there is already a dog able to take the youngster under its wing.

Centre manager Susan Tonner said: "Blind dogs get a lot of comfort from following around another dog, ideally one that is sociable but placid."